Tag: strength train

February, the month of ❤️s. Give your body the ❤️ it deserves by making it stronger. Join me and fellow blogger Allison of inverted sneakers as we launch the ❤️StrongBody Streak Challenge. Starting on February 1, commit to 15 minutes of strength training, any workout of your choice, EVERYDAY until the end of the month.

As most of you know, I recently did a holiday Strength Streak Challenge and wrote a post on how to succeed at it. Allison commented on my post that she wanted to do something similar in February so after a brief suggestion, we decided to create this challenge and invite others to join in the fun. We are also starting a Facebook group for participants where you can post the workouts you did, provide or ask for ideas on types of workouts to do and give each other motivation.

At the end of February, you will receive the ultimate prize – a STRONGER YOU!

Plus many of the benefits strength training has to offer:

Slow the effects of aging. Research has shown a muscle loss avg of 5 lbs per decade starting in your 30’s for non-strength training adults.

I wanted the first page of my book to be Awesome! Therefore Day 1 of 2016, in Colorado at 5400ft elevation and nearly freezing temps, I donned warm layers of rarely used running gear and joined my friend for a run, following a trail around a frozen lake with views of distant snow-capped mountains.

I can’t remember the last time I ran with snow on the ground. Living in San Diego with its near perfect weather has me spoiled. However despite the frigid thin air, my breath was steady and my body warmed up as I appreciated the glistening snow under sunny blue skies and the company of a friend whom I haven’t seen in 2 years.

To top it off, I finished my 37 day holiday strength streak (Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) doing 2.5 pull-ups on this bar conveniently located on the trail in addition to the push-ups and squats I did to warm up prior to the run. A woman walking by said “Way to go” and I considered it as a congratulatory note for my effort in completing the challenge.

Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I want to introduce my fitness and health goals for 2016. Some of these goals are already work in progress. One of the books I started reading during our road trip to Colorado is “Meb for Mortals” by one of my favorite elite runners Meb Keflezighi. The first chapter addresses “Goals”. He believes it to be one of the most significant aspects in being a successful runner which is why it’s the first subject in his book. “With the right goals and the commitment to keep pursuing them, you can achieve more in running than you ever thought possible”.

1. Half marathon PR by training consistently and following a plan that includes lactate threshold workouts.

2. Improve my running form by incorporating form drills 1 to 2x/week. Chapter 2 of Meb for Mortals is all about running form. Mine needs plenty of work as I’ve noticed poor form on many of my race pics especially those taken when I’m really tired.

3. Continue to strength train at least once a week. My strength streak has taught me that even on very busy days I can still take 10-15mins to focus on a few multi-jointed strength movements. The big 4-0 is also on the horizon this year and the older we get, the rate of muscle loss (sarcopenia) increases. Conserving muscle and bone strength is a definite must for me.

4. Eat more whole foods and be aware of the glycemic load of what I eat to reduce my Hemoglobin A1C % and triglyceride levels (see related post). My plan is to have my blood tested in late spring.

5. Reduce stress through mindful breathing. This is a practice I would like to master as I need to teach my body to relax more and let go of useless tension.

I plan to review these goals every month to assess my progress in achieving all of them by the end of the year. Happy 2016!

Today is day 5 of my holiday fitness streak. Motivation is still high and if it ever does reach a low point, I will think of my disappointing lipid profile results (discussed in this post, Am I Skinny Fat) to bring me back to the major reason why I wanted to establish the habit of maintaining a strength workout. Fortunately, it’s been easy to keep a consistent schedule because 1) I have the support of my family and 2) our neighborhood YMCA has an excellent childwatch program that my kids enjoy. They play while I workout, a WIN-WIN situation. Continue reading “Strength Streak Challenge Update”→